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Chapter Fifty-three
Rayne
“No, no, no, please say he didn’t do that,” Rayne begged anyone standing near him. He wanted it to be a prank or a blatant lie, but when Wood held out his smartphone to Rayne, his heart sank at the picture of Bishop and Edison in front of the Norfolk City courthouse with wedding bands on their fingers. The second picture was of a hotel room balcony at the oceanfront and Edison sitting on Bishop’s lap, each with a glass of champagne in their hands. The message read:
We wanted a drama-free ceremony, so that’s what we did.
Rayne’s chest deflated. All of Mike’s plans, all of the many favors he’d called in, were all for nothing now.
Manny had to duck out of the way when Mike took his stool and slung it on the other side of the room. “Mike. Calm down! We can still—”
“Still do what?” Mike raged. “It’s already done! The one time I could do something parental for my son, and he robs me of it!”
Rayne could see Mike losing control, but he couldn’t do anything about it with everyone standing around and gaping at his partner while he lost his shit. No one needed to see his man break down but him.
“Everyone out. Now,” Rayne demanded when Mike stormed up the stairs. It was only a second before they heard more crashing and objects breaking against the walls.
Manny stared at Rayne a few seconds before he asked, “Are you sure? We can wait outside.”
“No. Leave. I’ll handle this.” Rayne was positive.
Wood looked concerned, but thankfully, he didn’t try to offer up another suggestion. Instead, he put his arm around a still-hurt-looking Trent. “Come on. Let’s give your dad some space.”
“You really think kissing it can make it better?” Manny asked.
“No. That won’t work,” Rayne admitted. “But I know what he needs.”
He walked the three of them to the front of the house, and Wood and Trent gave him one last apprehensive glance at the sound of a door slamming shut upstairs hard enough to rattle the downstairs windows.
“I’ll be home the rest of the night.” Wood touched Rayne on his shoulder. “Call me if you need me.”
“Me too.” Manny frowned, appearing skeptical about leaving his friend. This was most likely his duty when Mike got out of control, but it was Rayne’s responsibility now.
“I’ll be fine,” he reassured them, then closed and locked the door behind them.
Rayne stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened to the mayhem Mike was causing in his bedroom. He took a deep breath, said a short prayer for strength, and headed upstairs to do what Mike needed him to.
To bring him peace.
Mike
If that witch had never shown her face today, Mike would’ve been able to present his gift to Bishop and Edison like he’d planned: a beautiful, nearly impossible-to-obtain wedding venue in the middle of June at the beating heart of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. A favor Mike had harbored for almost three years. He couldn’t understand why karma kept kicking him in the nuts anytime he tried to make up for being a shitty father to his boys for so many years.
Hatred choked him and cut off his air. It felt like shards of ice were slicing at his heart, and Mike was defenseless against the pain. It was killing him slowly, surely. There was so much rage building within his chest that he knew soon it would consume him. Mike was running out of things to destroy, his hands burning to tear things apart. He picked up his lamp on his bedside table and was prepared to hurl it across the room when Rayne appeared at the door.
“Put it down,” he said in that smooth, relaxed voice that Mike loved. “I know you’re hurting, but that’s enough.”
Mike’s chest was heaving as if he’d just finished a heavyweight, twelve-round bout. He could see Rayne, and he could hear his soft voice through the ringing in his ears, but it wasn’t penetrating.
“Mike, please. Come to me.”
Anger boiled in his stomach. He couldn’t touch Rayne right now; there was too much ferocity radiating beneath his skin.
“Just give me a minute,” he managed, sounding winded. “I need to— I gotta get this out.”
“Mike, please don’t leave. Let me help,” Rayne begged when Mike blew past him.
“I’m not leaving. I’ll be in here,” Mike said and slammed the door to his workout room. If Rayne wouldn’t allow him to take it out on the house, then he’d take it on his body. He deserved the punishment.
